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ÖgeThe significance of semiotics in commodity production of symbolic cult figures: The case of Artemis of Ephesus(Graduate School, 2024-12-06) Vayvay, Büşra Gizem ; Bove, Geoffrey ; 402142002 ; Art HistoryThe primary objective of this study is to examine the importance of semiotics in commodification and how semiotics helps us understand commodification of symbolic cult figures within a framework of souvenir production, taking "Artemis of Ephesus" as a main example. Souvenirs, as significant cultural commodities, primarily function as carriers of memories; they are the reminders of a specific time and place, and can encapsulate the unique characteristics of the moment when they were bought. Cult-inspired souvenirs, on the other hand, are direct representations of the cult figure. A cult figure, like Artemis of Ephesus, is encompassed with mythical narrations and is enveloped in myths that maintain her symbolic nature. Artemis, the main divine figure of the city of Ephesus is a unique Anatolian mother-goddess cult which has global historical and cultural significance. This is why she was chosen as the main exemplar of this study. The Ephesian version of the goddess differs significantly from its Greek counterpart. The Ephesians fused properties of existing mother-goddess beliefs in the Ephesus region with the aspects of the Greek Artemis. Artemis of Ephesus is a perfect combination of the Greek Artemis and Anatolian Kybele, a blended version of both in terms of semiotic attributions and physical properties. Abstract notions like abundance, prosperity, and life-giver are some of her key attributions. These attributions form the semiotic basis of the Ephesian Artemis, who is the renowned, unique, Anatolian mother-goddess cult. Hence, this study proposes and explains that reproductions, reinterpretations or representations of her as souvenir objects are embodiments of her authentic essence since they are carriers of her attributions. Cultural commodities that tell a story or refer to a myth are prone to reach more customers since they are supported with a strong semiotic basis. The cult-inspired souvenirs embody the signs and symbols embraced by the stories and narratives they represent. They become tangible manifestations of these stories. Therefore, in the case of cult-inspired souvenirs, semiotics becomes useful for investigating the motives behind the commodification and production of such products and understanding consumers' motivations for purchasing them. The souvenirs as replications and representations of the cult figure narrate stories visually. The viewer reads them through her/his own glasses referring to the cultural or historical collective information or a prior knowledge about the cult, its context or the details and symbols. The cult-inspired souvenir points to the same meanings, tells xvi the same story, refers to the cult's authentic essence through giving direct or indirect reference to its original. This study also aims to illustrate that commodification of cult figures helps the concept and the idea of the cult to be preserved. Additionally, it helps the dissemination and continuity of the cult image, the myth, the story behind it, and its authentic essence by making them tradeable goods. The aim of the thesis is first attained by conducting a literature review on the theoretical accounts of mother goddess belief in Anatolia and the Ephesus region, cultural commodity production and commodification of artefacts, which is followed by an analysis of conceptual foundations on materialization of symbols and semiotics. Following the theoretical framework, photographically documented mother goddess and Artemis souvenirs are analyzed through a perspective of their protection and preservation of the cult's authentic essence. Their capacity and superiority in the representation of the original, and the extent to which these products accomplish this task is discussed based on the aesthetic qualities, function, and technical properties of the objects. In conclusion, the role of cult-inspired cultural commodities in the dissemination of the idea, myth and the authentic essence of the cult and how they function in creating a timeless notion by connecting past to present and present to future are discussed through an analysis of today's souvenir items with their referred ancient artefacts.